Show off your reading layout

[MeSue]

While we are all waiting for Marvin 2.0, I thought it would be fun to have a look at how everyone else likes to read in Marvin, so post a screen shot of your preferred reading layout in Marvin. Feel free to mention fonts, colors, and what you're reading if you want to...

If you don't know how to make a screen shot:
http://graphicssoft.about.com/od/scr...pod-iphone.htm

This is my usual daytime reading layout:


And my night mode:


Fonts are Open Sans for body and Arvo for headings. I used to use much larger fonts from when I would read in autoscroll in Tomes, but I have been gradually shrinking font size until I could read comfortably at this size without reading glasses. (When Marvin gets autoscroll I'll probably switch to portrait because you really need short line lengths for autoscroll reading.)

I've tried so many different color combos for night, but I always come back to this for being easiest on the eyes for me. My "other" theme is basic black on white which I use in bright sunlight.

(Never used attachments via tapatalk before... Hope this works!)

[RONE]

My night mode is a black background with a light gray font color. My day mode is exactly the same.

[Faterson]

First, I regret it's only possible to store 3 "themes" in Marvin currently. I have therefore submitted the feature request #19 over at GitHub to allow us to store unlimited themes. I'd like to be using true "day themes" and "night themes" in Marvin, but because only 3 themes can be stored currently, for the time being I just use 3 "night themes".

And, as soon as textured/photographic backgrounds are made possible in Marvin (see feature request #15), I'll be moving away from solid-colour backgrounds for both night mode and day mode. For night modes, I'll be choosing black backgrounds with splashes of dark-red in it, and for day modes, preferably yellowish backgrounds with delicate, wood-imitating textures. Yes, I'm one of those who believe that the dreaded skeumorphism does have its place on modern handheld devices, iOS 7's all-too-energetic move away from skeumorphism to child-like pastel-coloured bubbles notwithstanding.

My preferred main reading font in Marvin is Arvo. Very distinctive and easy on the eyes. Unfortunately, it's only available for Western-European languages, so for (say) Russian books, I need to switch to a different font, such as Futura or Georgia, which are likewise very nice, though not quite as nice as Arvo. My preferred font for headings is Verdana.

The 3 themes I currently use in Marvin, as shown in screenshots below, are:

• Metallic Gold on Black – used for daytime reading. On the iPhone, though, I had to replace it with Citrine on Black, because "Metallic Gold" just wasn't distinctive enough there, especially not outside in direct sunlight. (Also see note on colours display below.)
• Asparagus on Black – used for nighttime reading, when everything around me otherwise is pitch darkness. Very soothing and undemanding on the eyes.
• Copper on Black – a welcome "compromise solution" between the earlier two, so perhaps ideal for reading in "dusk settings"?

Please note that pretty much every iDevice displays the same colours differently. For example, the colour called Citrine in Marvin is much more intense on my iPad 3 screen, than the same colour is on my iPad 1's screen, where it is more subdued. My iPhone 4, again, has its own way of displaying the same colours, and Kris once said his iPad 4 likewise differs in its colours display from iPad 3 and the earlier iPads. I guess it comes down to colours saturation, which appears to be different for every iDevice.

The excerpt shown in the screenshots is from Talmage Powell's terrific short story, "New Neighbor".

[MeSue]

Originally Posted by Faterson

Please note that pretty much every iDevice displays the same colours differently. For example, the colour called Citrine in Marvin is much more intense on my iPad 3 screen, than the same colour is on my iPad 1's screen, where it is more subdued. My iPhone 4, again, has its own way of displaying the same colours, and Kris once said his iPad 4 likewise differs in its colours display from iPad 3 and the earlier iPads. I guess it comes down to colours saturation, which appears to be different for every iDevice.

Good point. I even had to adjust my colors when I removed the anti-glare screen protector from my iPad. Since I got the Gripster holder/stand I can usually find a position and angle where glare is not a problem. I will have to try a black background in sunlight... Never thought it would be as good as a light background but don't know if I've tried it.

Maybe this is my nerdiness showing, but I find it interesting how we all chose such wildly different settings. But I guess that's why we love Marvin, eh?

[Faterson]

Originally Posted by MeSue

I will have to try a black background in sunlight... Never thought it would be as good as a light background but don't know if I've tried it.

It really is astonishing, but the Citrine yellow in Marvin is so intensely yellow that it manages to outshine the sun, so to say.

Naturally, if we were given the option to store more than just 3 themes in Marvin, I probably wouldn't ever have attempted to use a black background as my day mode... I do need the 3 "black" combos for my dusk or night mode, though, and because it would be too much hassle to be switching between a black and a different background manually all the time... well, that's why I've grown used to Metallic Gold on Black (iPad 3) or Citrine on Black (iPhone 4, iPad 1) as my "all" day mode, too.

By the way, this again shows how dumb iBooks (and Kindle) is compared to Marvin... because although you can select a "black" background there, you can't adjust the font colour, too. Reading "white on black" in direct sunlight would be impossible, I'm afraid. It's only thanks to the intensity of that Citrine yellow, that I find this practicable at all.

[kguil]

Daytime:


Night time with about 20% warmth dialled in:

[Kretzer]

I don't really have a favourite layout, as I like to play around with the settings a lot. Often I try to find a perfect colour to match my mood or to choose fonts that are most suitable for the style of a book. The bounty of options alone is a reason to love Marvin!

I do often get back to Arvo and some kind of green backgrounds, though, day and night. This seems kindest for my strained eyes. I find reading without glasses more comfortable, so I use fairly large text.

Light text on dark background doesn't work for me, so I rather have fairly dark backgrounds at night.
This reminds me that someone said in The Long Thread a while ago that it would be better to save the fonts with a theme. I would second that. Negative text for example would need a heavier font and a bigger size, at least for me.

[Faterson]

Originally Posted by Kretzer

This reminds me that someone said in The Long Thread a while ago that it would be better to save the fonts with a theme. I would second that.

Absolutely... that was me and other users (Jon...). I have also reiterated the feature request and posted it as #19 over on GitHub:

https://github.com/kguil/Marvin-Roadmap/issues/19

[Jessica Lares]

I use the font called Lora, with white text and beaver for the background. Small fonts, very little line height, and a slightly wide spacing for the paragraphs. No hyphenation.

My night theme is just white on black.

I also take my glasses off while reading.

[Faterson]

Originally Posted by Jessica Lares

I also take my glasses off while reading.

It's interesting that it's only possible for me to do this (take off my glasses and read; I'm severely short-sighted) when reading on my iPad 3 or iPhone 4.

But when I attempt to do the same with the original iPad 1, or even the current iPad mini, the text becomes so blurry that reading it would give me a headache within 5 minutes.

So, while many Apple detractors slam "Retina screens" as "hype", there is a profound difference in functionality between Retina devices and non-Retina devices... which is why I've never purchased iPad 2 or the current iPad mini (still waiting for an iPad mini Retina, against all apparent odds).

[Jessica Lares]

I've been taking my glasses off lately for any screen time. I think it may have to do with the fact that screens are just getting better in general. Better lighting, the not being made with mercury anymore, them squishing more pixels into smaller displays, etc.

I can't even tell when something IS blurry. My eyesight is that bad. That's why the iPad Mini looks so good to me.

[artbatista]

I have the same experience. No glasses, I can't read on iPad 2.

I was disappointed Apple did not announce a retina iPad mini.

Still, there's hope for next year.

Art

[Faterson]

Art, that was just the iPhone announcement on Tuesday. The 2013 iPad announcement is still coming up, likely in October. There will be new iPad 5 and new iPad mini 100% this year.

Whether the new iPad mini will also have a Retina display, is a different question, but I'd say it's likely at this point, given the tough competition from the new Nexus 7.

[Kretzer]

Originally Posted by artbatista

I have the same experience. No glasses, I can't read on iPad 2.

I was disappointed Apple did not announce a retina iPad mini.

Still, there's hope for next year.

Art

It's the opposite for me: No glasses, I don't see pixels and I'm not bothered by the display quality of my iPad2 ...
Still, I am very tempted by a retina mini, and I am sure there will be one later in the year. The big iPad does feel very heavy when you hold it in one hand for longer. #firstworldproblems

[artbatista]

Originally Posted by Faterson

Art, that was just the iPhone announcement on Tuesday. The 2013 iPad announcement is still coming up, likely in October. There will be new iPad 5 and new iPad mini 100% this year.

Whether the new iPad mini will also have a Retina display, is a different question, but I'd say it's likely at this point, given the tough competition from the new Nexus 7.

I hope so Alex.

I would call my Voudu priestess and have her sacrifice a chicken if it would make Apple release a mini retina this year.

Art